Your Highness Movie Review

Upcoming movie, “Your Highness,” which features, among other things, the severed penis of a Minotaur as a trophy, sinks from low to lower in the first five minutes of the new movie.

One big surprise of this movie picture is that David Gordon Green agreed to be the director. After directing ”George Washington” and “All the Real Girls,” he looked like he had a great future. Another surprise is that Green and producer of “Your Highness,” Scott Stuber, managed to talk such an impressive cast into working on this new movie release. Box office will be iffy.

Mel Brooks was known for making this type of spoof of genre movies look easy. Monty Python’s troupe were the masters of the medieval fantasy. Green is fantasy clueless and he really shouldn’t have listened to his buddy Danny McBride who co-wrote, co-produced and starred in what he calls his “twisted tale.” “Your Highness” falls totally flat.

The set design is savvy and the images, filmed in Northern Ireland, are striking, and there is a plethora of digital effects. The characters wander around the landscape on some ill-defined quest that ends up being a contest as to who has the dirtiest mouth. The only special effects that men are going to remember are the semi-naked, sand-painted women in one vignette.

Danny McBride is Thadeous, the second son of the king who plays second-fiddle to his younger brother, Fabius, played by James Franco who’s even duller here than in his Oscar hosting gig. Rasmus Hardiker plays servant Courtney, Thadeous’ rather stupid companion. Belladonna, played by Zooey Deschanel , Fabious’ intended bride, looks rather confused, and is kidnapped by Justin Therous, playing an evil wizard. Charles Dance, the king, insists that Thadeous join Fabius on his quest to get Belladonna back.

On their quest they meet Natalie Portman who plays a lady warrior who flips and pirouettes her way to joining the little band, which has been betrayed by friends played by Toby Jones and Damian Lewis. There’s also a mechanical bird named Simon – you have to wonder what movie genre he materialized from.

The filmmakers have hidden the joke in this movie very well. McBride smokes dope and masturbates on his trek through the forest while making stupid wise-cracks. Any laughs he receives are because his lines are pathetic.

Tech credits are excellent against anything else that anyone else in the movie has accomplished.